Sunday, December 21, 2008

Storm Warning in Effect...

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA1238 PM EST SUN DEC 21 2008...


ANOTHER WINTER STORM EXPECTED TODAY
...A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST.
STORM TOTALS OF 5 TO 10 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY THIS EVENING.
OCCASIONALLY HEAVY SNOW WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...BEFORE THE SNOW ENDS LATE IN THE DAY.



Well, duh! When I opened the curtains this morning and saw this.....




and this......



You can't even see the sidewalk and the street from the front door......




Tomorrow The Countess and The Principessa are supposed to be on a Delta flight to Florida



where I expect to see palm trees and sunshine...




The Grand Duke Ryan is waiting for us and he promises temperatures in the 80's and Glenlivet by the pool....




Get ready, Ryan! We will be there tomorrow night. We won't let a little thing like a major northeast blizzard stop us!!
Countess Bedelia 12/21/2008 01:01:00 PM | 1 comments |

Friday, December 19, 2008

Smorgasbord....




I don't know where the last week went to but I am now snowbound in New England so here is a mishmash of my adventures since I last posted....



First I want to pay homage to my dear friend Mark....he brought me the most delicious rum cake when he came to visit two weeks ago.





Delicious!!!!




Last Friday in New York City I went to the Holiday Bazaar at Union Square.





There were so many wonderful crafts shops set up there. The Countess bought a beautiful scarf at one of them.





Then on Friday night in New York City I went to see Phillip Taratula's play "call me anne" which I posted about earlier. Phillip has gotten rave reviews and I hope his play gets extended. There was a great group of friends that met up...Stephanie, Halley, Daiva, Matt, Jenn, Tom, and Rafi. After the performance we all went to Southie for a few cocktails and to catch up with each other.



Saturday I went to see "August: Osage County" during the afternoon. Such a powerful play. Winner of a Pulitzer Prize, and many Tony awards. I left there with so many thoughts whirling through my head.....definitely the sign of a wonderful theater experience.






Saturday night my friend Halley came with me to attend the Red Bull Theater opening night production of "Women Beware Women". One of the stars was the magnificent John Douglas Thompson who wowed audiences this summer as Othello at Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox. All of you Othello fans will be happy to know that John will be reprising his role as Othello for the Theater for a New Audience production in NYC that premieres on February 14th, 2009.







Here is Halley with her friend Alexander who has a role in Women Beware Women.




I was thrilled to be able to meet Michael Urie at the Red Bull party. Michael, as most of you know, plays Mark on Ugly Betty. I had an introduction to him but I was a little nervous upon meeting him.....no worries. He is a total sweetheart. (And, Michael, I hope you gave Matt my message at the party later....LOL)


Now The Countess is snowbound...trapped at home when she should be in the Berkshires going to Rumpy's Tavern for my dear friend Stew's going away party. This snow has screwed up all kinds of festivities this weekend.



Stew, just know that I am thinking of you tonight and wish you good fortune as you set out on new adventures. Muah!!!





I just hope that I will be on the plane to Florida on Monday morning without any problems. Palm trees.....Here I come!!



Countess Bedelia 12/19/2008 11:04:00 PM | 0 comments |

Thursday, December 11, 2008

New York! New York! Can we afford you????



The rains are pouring down here in New York City. I mean torrential downpours....the kind that soak you through to the skin. As you walk the city streets, your umbrella bumps their umbrella....it is the umbrella wars!!!!!!



But that didn't stop The Countess from going to a night at the theater. "Speed-The-Plow" by David Mamet is playing at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on 47th Street. It is a tour-de-force for Jeremy Piven, Raul Esparza, and Elizabeth Moss. If you haven't heard of these three actors, look them up.....you must have your head stuck in the sand. What an incredible theater experience! And the production was directed by Neil Pepe, Artistic Director of the Atlantic Theater Company!!






My trip to the city has already paid off in dividends and I haven't even gotten to the two productions that I actually came here to see.




Now a little trip down reality road in the big city. I stopped into the liquor store near my hotel for a bottle of Glenlivet......$84 with tax for a bottle that would have cost me $40 back home. Then I ordered a glass of Glenlivet on the rocks at the hotel bar....$22. I also went to a local deli and got 2 large bottles of Poland Spring Water, a plain croissant and 2 lemon squares to bring back to the hotel.....$22. So inflation doesn't seem to have changed NYC yet and tourists are still paying top dollar. Still....a day in New York City is worth ten days anywhere else!!!!






xoxo, The Countess
Countess Bedelia 12/11/2008 11:25:00 PM | 2 comments |

The Countess is off to visit the Big Apple today!


As I mentioned in my last post, I'll be seeing Philip Taratula's play, "Call me Anne".




He has gotten some terrific reviews:



"The vigorous Mr. Taratula is a committed, winning performer whose poison darts bear traces of sympathy…Mr. Taratula comments on the pervasiveness of secrecy for performers in same-sex relationships. But his larger targets are the insecurity of actors and the desperate, delirious excesses of Hollywood spirituality." –Andy Webster, New York Times



"An hourlong one-man tour de force … Taratula the performer, under Matt McGrath's direction, has a terrific conviction that sells the comedy and absurdity of Heche's life … Call Me Anne reveals a talented writer and performer who has a gift ..."-Mark Peikert, Backstage



"Taratula is brilliantly gifted and you really should come and see him before he's whisked away to stardom of some sort. There are just so many little moments in the performance that shine … he plays a bunch of parts flawlessly and nailed Heche perfectly...but it's the little things that Taratula does right." –Matthew Freeman, On Theatre and Politics





Several friends and I are meeting tomorrow night to see Philip and enjoy his performance. If you are in New York City, come to the Access Theater and join us.
Countess Bedelia 12/11/2008 10:52:00 AM | 0 comments |

Monday, December 08, 2008

Surprised!



The Countess was out getting a manicure on Friday afternoon. When she came back to the Castle Bedelia, the drawbridge was down and .... Surprise! Black & Tan Mark was waiting at the castle gate. He had flown in from Miami that morning.




Soon the cocktail hour began and laughs and giggles were the order of the day. I still can't believe he was here!!


The next night was the Christmas Ball at the Four Seasons in Boston. Such a beautiful hotel, with views of the Public Garden. All the Christmas trees were lit up which you can see through the windows behind the dessert table.



This was a black tie event and Mark had left his tux at home, so I invited him to come over later in the evening. Everyone was asking "Who is that man in the black leather jacket?" He was quite a hit!! We all had a great time and the Glenlivet was flowing freely.





This week the Royal Coach is bringing The Countess to New York City. Looking forward to seeing friends and going to the theater.







One of the plays I will be enjoying was written by Philip Taratula. It's a one man play "Call me Anne". Philip plays all the roles. You can read about it in Broadway World. If you are in the city, check it out. It promises to be hysterically funny!!
Countess Bedelia 12/08/2008 11:39:00 AM | 1 comments |

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Prop 8, The Musical


I couldn't up load this video but you can see it here.


Courtesy of Towleroad:



Hairspray composer Marc Shaiman (whose boycott lead to the resignation of Sacramento's California Musical Theatre creative director Scott Eckern following his donation to Prop 8) wrote and conceived this hysterical short piece (presented with a wink and a nod by the 'Sacramento Community College Players'), which was directed and staged by Hairspray director and choreographer Adam Shankman and features plenty of folks you will recognize.


Shaiman plays the piano. Jordan Ballard, Margaret Cho, Barrett Foa, J.B. Ghuman, John Hill, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, Rashad Naylor, Nicole Parker star as 'California Gays and The People That Love Them'. John C Reilly as a Prop 8 leader, and Alison Janney as his wife. Kathy Najimy as his second wife. Jenifer Lewis as a riffing Prop 8'er. Craig Robinson as a preacher. Rashida Jones, Lake Bell, Sarah Chalke as Scary Catholic School Girls from Hell. Katharine "Kooks" Leonard, Seth Morris, Denise "Esi!" Piane, Lucian Piane, Richard Read, Seth Redford, Quinton Strack, and Tate Taylor as The Frightened Villagers.

Jack Black stars as Jesus Christ, and Neil Patrick Harris is billed as 'A Very Smart Fellow'.
Countess Bedelia 12/03/2008 10:12:00 AM | 1 comments |

Monday, December 01, 2008

Nothing like a granddaughter to get you in the Christmas spirit !!



The Countess and Melanie went into Boston last weekend to see "How the Grinch Stole Christmas! the Musical" at the Wang Center. We always have a great time together on our adventures. This is a fun show to take children to. We both enjoyed it.

The little girl who played Cindy-Lou Who has an amazing voice. When she sang her duet with The Grinch, she brought down the house.

And no adventure is complete without dessert! Melanie topped off her meal with the house specialty, The Lava Melt.....warm brownie and vanilla ice cream drizzled in chocolate. Yum!

By the time we returned home, my son had the Christmas lights on at the house and so the season has officially begun.

Countess Bedelia 12/01/2008 08:58:00 AM | 1 comments |